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Saturday, February 2, 2013

A Humorous Historical Happening

The following is found in a footnote in Sir Walter Scott's book Quintin Durward. (page 422).

"But the acute ready witted expedient to escape instant death, has no reference to the history of this philosopher. The same, or nearly the same story, is told of Tiberius, (a Roman emperor), who demanded of a soothsayer, Thrasullus, if he knew the day of his own death, and received for an answer, it would take place just three days before that of the emperor. On this reply, instead of being thrown over the rocks into the sea, as had been the tyrants first intention, he was taken great care of for the rest of his life."